Are You Worried About Something?
by D.C. al Coda
Summary: Spencer noticed JJ's uneasiness during their conversation with a community angel in Dallas. The next week, JJ isn't wearing her wedding ring. Maybe there's something that is worrying her. And maybe she doesn't want to admit it. Why JJ's ring was missing in "To Bear Witness".
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yeah, another one-shot. This one's kind of interesting, though. As you can tell, since "To Bear Witness" I have been obsessing over why JJ wasn't wearing her wedding ring in the episode. I started piecing things together from "Final Shot" and "To Bear Witness" and this idea came to my mind. It's my explanation for why JJ wasn't wearing her ring in that episode.**

_**(Note: if this just happens to be a coincidental mistake made during filming of the episode or if I'm just crazy and seeing things (let me know about that), don't worry about any of this "no ring" thing.)**_

**Well, I hope you enjoy this little one-shot. Read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

_"Are you worried about something?" Spencer asked._

That moment had stuck in her head for days after it happened. There was something that was worrying her. What was worrying her was that the women that had gone to the community angels in desperation, she could honestly sympathize with.

She would never admit it to anyone on the team, but she wasn't comfortable around Will anymore. Something had off with him recently. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Each day started off the same way, with Will once again asking her when she was going to quit the BAU and get a job where she would be able to spend more time with her family, to which she again responded with, "I'm not quitting, Will, so stop asking."

The question was pissing her off because he never respected that she was proud to work for the FBI and preferred to work there. He was always asking her to quit. She had been especially pissed off when Henry had a seizure and she wasn't there because Will told her to go on a case. She had kicked him out of the house for at least a week for it.

The moment she knew something was off was when she woke up and he didn't ask the question. As a profiler, she knew something was up and she did not like it.

So, a few days before the case in Dallas, she confronted him.

_"What's going on with you?" she asked as he walked in the door._

_"What are you talking about?" he asked, his words slurring. He was drunk again. Typical for Will._

_"First of all, why are you drinking? You know better than that. Henry hates the smell of it on you. It makes him want to run away from you."_

_"Because I can. And you shouldn't get on my case about drinking."_

_"Well, you shouldn't on my case about the BAU."_

_"Screw you, bitch." JJ's face turned to a horrified expression._

_"Will, watch your mouth."_

_"No, I'm done with this. I'm tired of dealing with all this crap about the BAU. You should've quit a long time ago. You're gone all the time and we never know if you're coming back. Is it worth missing out on your son's life?" he said as he walked closer to her._

_"I do what I do so that others can go home to their own children. And I always come home. And last I checked you were the one who willingly went into a bank hostage situation knowing full well what could've happened, so watch who you are blaming, Will!" She suddenly felt a sting on her face and recoiled in pain. She looked back to see a horrified Will. He had just hit her._

_"JJ, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." He begged and pled until JJ agreed._

After Dallas, she knew that she couldn't risk that again. Reid asking her if something was wrong got to her. Something was definitely worrying her. She had to kick him out before things got worse.

She knew that women in an abusive relationship would not normally take action like this, but she wasn't about to be one of them. One of the poeple in Spencer's statistics of abused women.

She figured that as much as Henry liked his "uncles" from the BAU, Henry wouldn't really be as hurt by Will being gone. Besides, it was time for her to do something for herself. She had married Will because of Henry and that was it.

She and Will always argued about the BAU. It was annoying and she knew Henry didn't like it when they fought. That moment when he hit her was just the turning point of anger. And that was all that needed to happen for her to kick him out.

* * *

She returned home from Dallas to find Will sitting on the couch drinking.

"So how was Dallas?" Will asked. He wasn't drunk, which only helped the situation.

"Will, we need to talk," she said.

He knew something was wrong. "What is it?"

"You need to leave."

"What?"

"You hit me. I don't care if you were drunk or not. You still hit me. I can't forgive that. Besides, if you hit me, how do I know you won't do the same to Henry?"

"JJ, I said I was sorry. Don't take me away from Henry."

"See that's another thing. All our conversations go back to Henry. I love him, but he has always come up in conversation ever since I found out I was pregnant. It has influenced every action taken, including that wedding. It should never have happened."

"How could you say that?!" he yelled angrily.

"Because it's true. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for Henry, you would still be in New Orleans drinking at a bar on the job. You are only here in D.C. because of Henry. I didn't ask for you to move here; I wasn't going to ask you to move here. We only got married because of Henry, not because we were in love. I feel more love at the BAU than I do at home."

"I can change."

"You're still leaving."

"You can't just kick me out," he said angrily.

"I can and I am. Get out or I call Reid to ramble on about 'Dr. Who'. And I know you don't want that."

Will shuddered. He'd been on the receiving end of a Reid rambling and his brain was spinning afterward. But he quickly recovered and was angry that she was threatening him.

"Leave Will," JJ said sternly. "And never come back. If you do, I will kick your ass without any mercy."

He walked up to her and slapped her to the ground. "You bitch. You're not taking son away from me."

JJ quickly reached for her gun, which was still on her hip. She pulled it out and pointed it at Will. More specifically, his soft area.

"You have 30 seconds get out or I blow your manhood off," JJ said. "And that's a promise."

She stood up, her gun still pointed at Will's groin. He walked over to the door and opened it.

"This isn't over. I'll be back," Will declared.

"Don't count on it. I filed for a restraining order for me and Henry against. You come near us again and they will arrest you," JJ stated. "Now, leave your keys here and get out."

Will took his house keys and set them on the coffee table and stepped out the door and left. JJ lowered her gun and locked the door behind him. She took off the wedding ring from her left hand and threw it in the fireplace. She moved the ashes over it so she wouldn't have to it again. And if she decided to make a fire there, it was ready to be heated up.

The next morning, she got up and packed Will's suitcase. She figured that Will would think that she would suddenly regret kicking him out and she run into his arms. So she made sure to give him a surprise when he showed up. She finished pack his items and set them outside with a note: "Here's your stuff. Have a nice life, jackass. – Your _ex_-wife, JJ".

Henry woke up to not find his father anywhere. "Where's Daddy?"

JJ dreaded this moment. "Daddy's gone and he's not coming back. He's been very mean to Mommy lately and he's being punished."

"Did Daddy hit you again?" Henry asked.

JJ reeled back in horror. Her son had witnessed her being slapped by that bastard. But she couldn't lie to him. "Yes he did. But's not going to hurt me anymore."

"He's been hurting me too," Henry said sadly. JJ reeled back in horror once again. Will had hit Henry.

"Don't worry, Henry. If he comes anywhere near us from now on, he's going to jail. He can't hurt us anymore, Henry." She held her son tightly. "It's okay, Henry."

She returned to work the next day. She managed to contact Henry's old sitter and got her to come by to stay with Henry while she worked things out. She put make-up to hide what was left of the marks left from Will slapping her. No one noticed that or her missing ring. When she got home she decided to make a call to an old friend.

"Mateo Cruz," the voice on the other end said.

"Matt, it's JJ," JJ said.

"Well, JJ, long time, no contact. What's going on?"

"You up for a run tomorrow morning? I'll explain everything then."

"Okay," Matt Cruz said, his voice filled with confusion. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. The park where we used to do our running workout?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then." She hung up the phone. Hopefully, talking to her old friend Matt would help clear her mind a little.

* * *

**And that's my explanation. Hopefully, they will bring this up if it wasn't just a mistake made during filming. Either way, let hear your thoughts on the story (and if this sucks, just say so. I don't care. I literally wrote this in an hour last night without any concern on quality).**

**Thank God: I had to get this out or I was going to lose it. Hopefully, I can stop obsessing about it now. Or at least attempt to stop obsessing. It might take until "200" for this to stop.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and look for my upcoming one-shots ****_Bully_**** (based on what I think will happen in the future Season 9 episode of the same name) and ****_The Truth Comes Out _****(my prediction for "200", which can also be seen as a sequel to this one-shot). And also keep an eye out for updates on ****_A New_**** Chance, and both editions of ****_ What Wasn't Seen _****along with the epilogue of "Don't Forget That I Will Always Love You".**

**See ya in another story!**

**-D.C. al Coda**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, let me explain. This was orignally just going to be a one-shot, but I decided to continue it with a chapter involving Cruz and the one-shots I mentioned last time are going to be stories in a series: "A Guy Can Only Hope". Why is it called this? Because these stories represent my hopes for the new season.**

**And on another note, it turns out that the missing ring was just fanboy paranoia. JJ had it in last night's episode, so I'm mad that they led me on. That's not going to affect my stories though. I hope you continue with it.**

**Also another note: I decided to use my Twitter for something other than stalking Criminal Minds, Matt Gubler, and AJ Cook's tweets. I will be using it to announce updates on stories, new story ideas, and to ask questions to Rick Dunkle hoping for an answer. So, please follow me for these updates and posts. Also, if you ever have any type of question (whether it be about my stories, what I decided to cut, or just questions in general), just tweet me and I will reply back ASAP. Look for DCalCodaD.**

**Well, let's not wait any longer. You know the drill: read, review, and enjoy.**

* * *

JJ met with Matt Cruz at their normal spot at the entrance to the local park where she sometimes took Henry for some fresh air.

"So, you ready to go for a run?" JJ asked.

"Yes. When you tell me what's going on," Matt said.

"I'll explain on the run," JJ said.

Matt shrugged. As they jogged around the park, JJ started explaining.

"My husband kept constantly asking me to quit my job at the FBI and I constantly said no. It was a constant argument and it was pissing me off. Recently, he stopped asking. I knew something was off," JJ began.

"Wait a minute," Matt interrupted. "You're married?"

"Was married. I'm filing for divorce."

"Why?"

"Just wait. I'll get to that." Matt nodded and she continued. "So I confronted him about it. He was drunk and I was telling him off about his drunkenness and his disrespect for my job when he hit me. As soon as he did, he was begging for forgiveness. I just figured that it was just the alcohol talking, so I forgave him. Then we had a case in Dallas recently with a sniper who was going to kill a woman who had gone to a community angel because she was being abused. I felt uneasy during the conversation because I knew what it felt like. My co-worker, Dr. Spencer Reid…"

"Wait, he isn't your husband?" Matt asked honestly. "The way you talked about him at the Pentagon made me think you were in love with him."

"I was with my son's father at the time. Though I honestly wish I had just sucked it up and asked him out on a second date. I met my son's father, Will, in New Orleans while we were working a case there. He kept flirting with me and I flirted back. I regret it so much because talking to him in that bar made me feel like such a freaking dumb blonde. Besides, Spencer was still struggling with being abducted in Georgia at the time. I should have been more worried about him and the case than having that bastard flirt with me while drinking on the job. He was always drunk when we were getting intimate and I hated it. Either way, I wish I had just told Spencer how I felt back then." JJ shook her head for a second. "You know I remember there was a party before I was pregnant where Spencer and I both got drunk and we slept together. He was my first and I was his." She stopped. "I'm getting way off topic. Anyway, after he confronted me about my uneasiness, I decided to kick Will out. He hit me again, I pointed a gun at his groin and he left. I threw my ring in the fireplace and covered it with the ashes. I got all of his stuff out of the house and I'm having a restraining order drawn up since he hit both me and my son. He comes near either of us again, the cops will take him away."

Matt stared for a moment. "Well, your life has been eventful recently."

"No kidding," JJ replied.

"Just asking, but when did you sleep with Dr. Reid?" Matt asked.

"A little personal there Matt," JJ said.

"Just answer the question, JJ."

"February 2008."

"And when was your son born?"

"November 2008."

"Pregnancy lasts up to 40 weeks or ten months as you know."

"Yeah."

"Do the math."

JJ paused for a moment. "I know. I've wondered for a while. I considered telling him my suspicion recently."

"I wouldn't. You're going to be fresh off a divorce. Take a little while before you tell him anything."

JJ thought for a moment. "You're right. Besides he still hasn't moved past Maeve."

"Who?"

"His old girlfriend."

"What happened?"

JJ stopped running and paused, not wanting to remember that night. That awful night where Spencer had to watch his first girlfriend die at the hands of a psychopath. "She was murdered. Right in front of him."

Matt reeled back. "Wow. I can't imagine that. That's gotta be harsh."

"And Spence being Spence, he was hurt so badly. I think he grieves Maeve's death more that our boss Hotch did when his ex-wife was murdered. He doesn't let that many people close to him and having Maeve die in front of him destroyed him."

Matt paused. "In that case, wait for a better time to tell him when his grieving has lessened immensely."

JJ nodded. "That's my plan."

Matt and JJ finished their jog. "Can you do the same time tomorrow morning?" JJ asked.

"Sure, anything for an old friend," Matt said.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." JJ walked away and headed back home.

JJ thought about the recent events that had taken place. Patience was the key. Spencer needed time. Besides, she needed to get the restraining order drawn up along with the divorce papers.

_Maybe everything will be better in a few months_, she thought.

* * *

**Well, that's that. Keep an eye out for part two of "A Guy Can Only Hope", _Bully_!**** And follow along in this series as it continues!**

**One thing: This story is NOT connected to "Don't Forget" in any way. The plot ideas come together in the end so they needed to be established. This similar plot idea is part of it. Just go with it. None one of these will be romance anyway. I'm not sure if I will hook them up in the end. So go with the flow.**

**Anyway, keep your eyes open for updates on _A New Chance_ along with the posting of both versions of _What Wasn't Seen _("Don't Forget" and "A New Chance" Editions) and the epilogue of _Don't Forget That I Will Always Love You_! **

**Until then! See you next time!**

**-D.C. al Coda**


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